Serena photography contest concludes

Islamabad : The third season of Serena Hotels Photography Competition 2019 concluded here.

Almost 400 submissions came from far-flung areas of Pakistan with the theme this year's being 'People and Culture of Pakistan'.

Irfan Ali from Kurram district and Dileep Parnar from Nagarparkar were chosen as winner and runner-up respectively after a rigorous jury session with renowned photographers, Wajahat Malik and Syed Mehdi Bukhari, along with Serena Hotels management.

Wajahat Malik said, “We received 400 submissions this year and were blown away with the quality of photos. Discover Pakistan Photography Competition is a very good effort on the part of Serena Hotels to highlight and promote the talent of Pakistan. We thank Serena for working towards this noble cause.”

Mehdi Bukhari said, “The submissions this time were mind-boggling, as there were so many good photos to choose from. The contestants were from far-flung areas of Pakistan this time, including Balochistan, Interior Sindh, and Gilgit Baltistan. The winner, however, was Irfan Ali from Kurram District KPK whose work speaks for itself. He was able to capture the stories of people while keeping his lights, technique, and angles in check. The runner-up was Dileep Parnar from Nagarparkar who really highlighted the unique beauty of his area and people through beautiful photographs.”

The winner and runner up of the competition will get their dedicated exhibition at Satrang Art Gallery at Islamabad Serena Hotel.

Their photographs will be published in the Discover Pakistan Coffee Table Book Volume 3 by Serena. The work will also be promoted through well-known print/digital platforms.

In addition, a gift voucher will be awarded for 02 nights stay (full board) at a designated Serena Hotel's property.

Irfan Ali said, “I belong to district Kurram, which was recently merged in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. I was tagged in the Facebook competition by a friend and thought to give it a try. We are grateful for having this opportunity to showcase our talent and presenting and promoting this side of Pakistan. This appreciation will encourage me to expand my work. Here I would like to thank the respected jury and for rest of the participants, gear up guys. I wish you good luck for the next contest.”

The runner up was Dileep Parnar who hails from a small city in Tharparkar District, at the foot of the Karoonjhar Hills called Nagarparkar.

He said, “I started photography with my mobile phone back in 2015. I come from a very underprivileged and undiscovered area, however, it is scenic and very beautiful. I have been capturing the beauty of my city through my photos and hope to promote it in mainstream media as a tourist destination in the future”. The Discover Pakistan Competition and coffee table book showcases the immense beauty of the country and gives young photographers the space to showcase their skill, creativity, and awareness of the uniqueness of Pakistan.